Letter from the President

Dear Cap Alumni,

Jade Williams '18, Cap and Gown President

After a semester of learning the ropes under the senior officer corps, this fall, the current officer corps and myself went full swing into the new school year. We opened up the club to members with a Welcome Back BBQ on the backyard patio with food provided by our wonderful kitchen staff. It was great seeing everyone back after the summer, and normal club activities resumed with the start of classes.

Within the first couple of weeks we held Fall Bicker and accepted 15 new juniors, out of 29 total, for section 2019. This was a slight increase from our 25 total fall junior bickerees last year. For fall bicker we incorporated games and interviews, and discussions were facilitated by our Bicker Chair Jarryd Osborne ‘18 with the help from our Technology Chair Maya Phillips ‘18. We had our “pickups” the same week after discussions ended and welcomed the new members to the club.

We revved up this fall with plenty of fun and new events that have been in the making since last semester. Cap held its inaugural Parent’s Weekend the weekend of October 7th with the careful planning of our Social Chair Annie Hadley ‘18, the advice from the Graduate Board, and the preparation led by Club Manager Dennis Normile, Chef Greg, and the staff. We started off the weekend with a Cap Cocktail Hour and hors d'oeuvres Friday evening. Saturday began with an Oktoberfest Tailgate Brunch followed by a parent’s dinner in the Class of 1973 dining hall. On Sunday we had a Getaway Brunch with Cap & Gown engraved beer steins as presents for the parents, marking the end of the weekend. The weekend was complimented by a home win for Princeton Football vs. Georgetown (Cap on tap for the post-game celebration) and the opening of the new Lewis Center for the Arts with many events to attend.

Cap Prom was our first big members event and was a great success in helping senior and junior members bond. We paired up seniors and juniors as prom dates with the theme being 80s Prom. We also had our Fall Semi-Formals – Casino Night – and it was beautifully orchestrated thanks to Annie Hadley, Jarryd Osborne, and the rest of the officer corps. Our Casino Royale menu was complete with delicious, colorful cocktails and themed appetizers based on foods from Tibet, Madagascar, and Monte Carlo. In addition to fun nights where we are open to the street, Cap has plenty of social activities available to the membership during the week.

While Social Chair Annie is busy planning for Winter Formals in December, we continue to have our regular events such as Cap Monday, Movie Night, and our themed club night dinners on Thursdays. Culturally Cap has also prepared activities for the fall including a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure during Fright Fest and a new Speaker Series at Cap starting with our first guest, and former University President, Shirley Tilghman.

Our Sustainability Chairs have continued to remain innovative and in line with University and street-wide initiatives to continue to promote sustainability in the club. We are composting as well as starting to recycle the plastic cups used in the club on nights out. These cups are stacked and boxed, then sent off to a company who recycles them for us. The Community Service chairs participated in Trick or Feed where students offer canned goods or monetary donations that aid the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. The event is organized by the street-wide Community Service Interclub Council. Students who participated in the event received a prox sticker allowing them to enter clubs during the Princetoween night out.

As the fall season ends, the club is gearing up for colder nights and the beginning of Fire Fridays around the fireplace with snacks and warm drinks. As always, we love to see alumni around and if you’re ever in the area, feel free to stop by the Illustrious and say hello!